Batch Details
Our bees work hard to create the most incredible honey. Below you will find details about our extractions, and using the batch number on your jar, you can find out more about your exact jar of honey.
You may find a letter after the batch code, this just refers to the tank it was stored in.
Date of Extraction: 10th July 2026
Hives: H2 & H4
Number of boxes: 3.5 (4th box only partially filled)
Honey Extracted: 42.9kg
Details: Following the last spring extraction, the weather became cold, windy and damp. This probably set the bees back a bit, but then of course we had an intense heatwave followed by a lull, and then a second heatwave during which this extraction took place. This honey is golden and fragrant. It likely contains a good proportion of blackberry which has been in flower, as well as domestic plants. There are lime and chestnut trees around the village and this will likely feature too.
Date of Extraction: 30th July 2026
Hives: H1, H2, H4, H5, H6, & H7
Number of boxes: 12.5 (13th box only partially filled)
Honey Extracted: 122.9kg
Details: The main harvest is now complete. This was a really interesting extraction process, with some real variation between honey boxes. The boxes which had been on the hives for some time showed evidence of the end of the Oilseed Rape honey- light honey but with evidence of crystallisation, so some of these frames were unextractable and will go back to the bees for the winter. In the younger boxes, there was a real mix of darker, almost orange honey, alongside very light and mild honey. All delicious, and has resulted in wonderful distillation of Summer 2026- I can't wait to share this honey with you!
I have sent a sample of from one of the younger, lighter boxes to the National Honey Monitoring Scheme for analysis and to be kept in the national archive. The results of the pollen content will be with us next year.
Date of Extraction: 28th August 2026
Hives: H7
Number of boxes: 1.5
Honey Extracted: 13.4kg
Details: The last harvest of the season. I should have taken these boxes with the last extraction but I didn't want to take from the bees unnecessarily. These boxes were the last ones to take- all hives have plenty of stores with both a large brood box and a honey box ('super') to take them through the winter.
The striking yellow wax in these supers suggests that the bees were foraging heavily on ragwort during this part of the season. The resulting honey has a bold and distinctive character, making this batch particularly well suited to producing richly flavoured mead or adding depth to our Hot Honey.
Date of Extraction: 3rd May 2026
Hives: H1, H2 & H3
Number of boxes: 3
Honey Extracted: 28.4kg
Details: An exciting day in the beekeeping calendar! The first extraction of 2026. All around the village are fields of Oilseed Rape, and this is likely to have formed the bulk of the nectar contributing to this honey. Oilseed Rape is well known for its propensity to crystallise very quickly in the comb, and this was the case on this extraction, with some frames retaining many cells of crystallised honey. Crystallised honey will not extract from the comb, so it's important to extract Oilseed Rape honey quickly. This batch will be used to make soft-set honey only.
Date of Extraction: 9th May 2026
Hives: H1, H2 & H3
Number of boxes: 3
Honey Extracted: 24.75kg
Details: This second extraction came quickly after the first, as I was surprised how much crystallisation there was on the first extraction. This honey has a more floral note than 2601, and it's likely that this batch contains more in the way of blossom nectar from the Blackthorn, Apple and Cherry, along with anything else in flower during April and early May.
Date of Extraction: 15th May 2026
Hives: H2 & H3
Number of boxes: 2
Honey Extracted: 18.65kg
Details: During inspection, I realised how heavy another few boxes were. Not wanting them to granulate in the frame, I decided to harvest these boxes too. I would say that this batch has even less Oilseed Rape in it than 2602, and like 2602, the trees and flowers in blossom during this period were also Apple and Cherry, as well as Horse Chestnut and Hawthorn.
